1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to systems and methods for displaying movies, advertising, and alternative content, and, more particularly, to software, systems and methods for automating projection equipment.
2. Relevant Background
Film-based entertainment such as movies, live events combined with film features, and the like remain an important vehicle for entertainment and education throughout the world. The theatre environment is created by interaction of lighting, sound, picture quality, screen and curtain operation, and other factors. Demanding patrons appreciate coordination of these various factors so that their experience in the theatre is interesting, pleasant, and effective. A typical theatre comprises one or more auditoriums where each auditorium includes a projection, sound, and auditorium devices that control various activities during a presentation. A projection room or booth houses projectors, sound equipment, controllers, and the like used to control auditorium lighting, sound, and other functions involved in presenting film-based content to an audience. Traditionally, the projection booth is staffed by a projectionist who is responsible for loading film reels onto the projector, adjusting the optical and audio properties within the auditorium, and turning the projectors on and off at appropriate times.
Manual performance of projectionist functions has some advantages in that certain activities such as adjusting sound and light levels benefit from the presence of a skilled projectionist. However, other functions such as turning projectors on and off or synchronizing the projection with other events in the auditorium may be improved by automation. As events become more complex and involve more complex synchronization of activities, the need for automation within the projection booth has increased. Moreover, automations allow a single projectionist to staff multiple auditoriums, thereby reducing cost of presenting an event.
Theatre automation systems, also called cinema automation systems, have developed to automatically or semi-automatically perform several theatre functions in synchronization with a film being presented. A film or sound track is encoded with optical or magnetic markers called “cues” that are detected by the theatre automation system. Cues may be attached in-between programming, or within a particular feature or trailer. The theatre automation system may then respond to a detected cue by manipulating theatre lights, sound, raising/lowering a curtain, or other activities that affect the theatre environment. There are many theatre automation systems available and no uniform way in which theatre automation systems operate. In other words, a cue signal will cause different theatre automation systems to behave differently.
Because conventional theatre automation systems receive their cues from a sensor within a film projector, the systems are most useful in theatres using film-based entertainment. However, theatre owners are continually attempting to increase the variety of types of material that can be presented in a theatre. For example, digital projectors provide a new method to present high-quality, engaging and dynamic content to theatre patrons. Digitally presented content is increasingly used to present advertisements and public service announcements, but can also be used to present live events and/or pre-recorded events to an audience in a theatre.
Most digital projection equipment is amenable to automation using programmable computers. Digital projectors may be equipped with standard serial communication ports and have electronics that respond to signals on the serial port to perform functions such as turning the projector on, adjust focus, adjust brightness and the like. More recently, digital projectors include various instrumentation that can be monitored via the serial connection so that information about lamp life, air filter condition, and other status information about a projector can be gathered.
To enable more efficient remote control of theatre equipment, the functionality provided by the theatre automation equipment and/or digital projector must be conveyed over a data communication network to central locations. In the case of digital projectors various manufacturers have provided connectivity modules that couple to the serial projector ports and provide a network-compatible interface such as an Ethernet connection. The connectivity modules provide the hardware and circuitry necessary to connect to a network as well as send and receive packet communications over the network. The connectivity modules translate commands received from a central controller into appropriate signals on the serial projector interface. One example of such a device is ChristieNET™ Connectivity Module (CCM) provided by Christie Digital Systems.
Connectivity modules, however, have not been developed to interface closely with film projectors or film-based theatre automation equipment. This is, in part, because film-based equipment is often built using older technology that is more difficult to interface with as compared to digital projection equipment. Because film-based projection equipment may be viewed as outmoded, connectivity module manufacturers have less incentive to support these markets. However, the large installed base of film-based theatres as well as the large quantity and variety of film-based entertainment is believed to ensure that film-based theatres have a significant lifespan. This lifespan can be further extended and enriched by providing improved automation capabilities for film-based theatres as well as automation capabilities that integrate more fully with digital projection equipment.
U.S. patent applicaiton Ser. No. 10/458,589 entitled “DIGITAL PROJECTOR AUTOMATION” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety describes an integrated projector automation system in which a soft shutdown mechanism for a digital projector is triggered by monitoring the state of a conventional switched power outlet. This allowed a soft shutdown process for digital projectors rather than the abrupt shut off normally provided by the switched outlet. This invention, which is owned by the assignee of the present invention, provided some level of coordinated control and management of both a film projector and a digital projector by implementing one-way communication between a film projector automation system and a computer system used to implement advanced theatre automation and management, as well as integration with a digital projector. However, it is desirable to provide a richer set of control functionality that is provided by the above-identified patent application.